Researchers Find Genetic Connection to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Researchers in China have found evidence of genetic links to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the related condition ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to provisional results reported online last Friday in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

In a previous study, the researchers found increased expression of the gene TXNDC5 in the synovial tissues of patients with RA. Now they have investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or sections of genetic material where a single letter of the genetic code is frequently mutated, in and near the same gene are linked with development of RA or AS.

The researchers looked at 96 SNPs in or near the TXNDC5 gene in 267 patients with RA, 51 patients with AS, and 160 healthy patients. In addition, they looked at four SNPs for 951 RA patients and 898 healthy patients. The results: Nine SNPs were found to be significantly associated with RA, and 16 SNPs were found to be significantly associated with AS.

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Investigating a pathogenic role for TXNDC5 in rheumatoid arthritis (provisional abstract) [Arthritis Research & Therapy]